


Specificity

by Seebright



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: AU way after the movie, Established Relationship, F/F, Flirting, I do what I want, PG, Romance, Self-Indulgent, because frankly, get ur rocks off elsewhere, i'm a little ashamed of this but i'm not certain why, just needed a name, not that i have mlp OCs, susan in accounts, then go nuts i guess, unless your kink is loving and healthy relationships, you know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 20:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12660954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seebright/pseuds/Seebright
Summary: It's a nice day, but not all days are suited for all tasks.It's good to take care of yourself.





	Specificity

**Author's Note:**

> It's a moot point considering I wrote near two and a half thousand words of MLP fanfic, but for real, this isn't a habit. I watched the movie and it was unexpectedly cute and I saw exactly no reason to not give into fluff fic.  
> The AU is that I gave the dear Danger Horse a comfy job and a gf.

Rain splattered on the ornate glass, throwing chilled lines across Tempest Shadow’s bedroom, dripping and tinkling wavering shapes of shadow over her as she trembled and grit her teeth.

She glared daggers and hate at a hairbrush lying on the marble floor where it had fallen from her dresser. The brush lay half draped in shadow, a washed out shape on the tile. It was the only thing out of place in her room, at first glance militaristically clean and pristine. There were no paintings on the walls, the colored glass window dominating an entire side serving to moodily paint the deep burgundy bedsheets and plain wood dresser in fleeting washes of green and gold where the colors interspersed the clear glass.

Yet in spite of the nearly obsessive order, small progresses persisted. A little purple unicorn statue stood still and proud on the nightstand. Some half-dozen colorful ribbons spilled from a partially kicked-closed closet. And most tellingly, pictures and books covered the entire surface of the dresser and much of the mirror overtop it.

The brush twitched and began to give off fizzling sparks.

Tempest held her breath and arched her neck, narrowing her eyes and setting her jaw at the brush and gave her magic just a little more power, a sliver as small as she could handle.

The brush hissed and jolted and the handle caught fire with a snap.

Tempest blinked sharply and exclaimed in frustration, stomping forward to grind her hoof into the little flame until it was only a smear of charcoal on the pristine floor.

“Tempest? Are you okay in there?” Twilight’s hesitant voice filtered past her closed door.

Tempest flushed and scowled and kicked the remnants under the dresser before responding.

“Yes, yes, I’m alright.” She could sense Twilight’s unconvinced look through the door. Tempest pinned her ears for a split second as she glanced guiltily around her room for a suitable excuse.

“I’m just… Very disappointed that it’s raining today. I wanted to,” she cast a desperate glance out the window and latched onto the first thing she saw. “…Admire the sculpture. Of the castle. All of the,” she cleared her throat. “All of the ones in the square.”

“The castle architecture… that’s in the square. The city square.” Tempest winced at Twilight’s flat question.

Oh, well. She hadn’t gotten as far as she had without the ability to bluff. “Yes.”

She heard Twilight huff in amusement and some of her tenseness left her eyes.

“Well, it’s a little damp to be doing that today, but it _is_ my break. So,” Twilight drew out the word, in a way that was clearly intended to be drumming up anticipation. Tempest eyed the door balefully.

“I was thinking we could make a spa day of it! I know you don’t like being helped with things like that, so I gave everyone working in the baths the day off. Which I can do by the way, it’s a birthday present to Caramel down at the soap shop.” Twilight paused for effect. “It’ll be just us.”

Tempest’s heart stopped and then rose in her throat as she stared, bewildered, at the door. Something about Twilight’s request was ironic, she thought as she glanced at her intentionally sparse room. Something or another.

“Also, can I come in? It’s kind of weird shouting at a door.”

Tempest scrambled to let her inside, eyes cast aside, considering. Twilight pranced in with a dramatically gleeful flick of her wings and made an expectant about-face. Though Tempest wasn’t watching, too concerned mulling things over, Twilight’s excited expression fell upon seeing her dear partner’s uncertainty, standing with the door held open.

She moved closer and gently head-butted Tempest’s stiffly held neck, and the deep magenta pony blinked out of her reverie. Tempest sighed and carefully pressed the side of her cheek against Twilight’s for a split second before putting some distance between them.

“I apologize, I didn’t mean to worry you. It’s a good idea, and very thoughtful of you to plan for us. It’s just the dichotomy of taking time purely to relax and enjoy another’s company compared to how I usually spend my time… Spent my time, of course. You understand.”

Tempest turned to see Twilight glancing at the scorched spot on the tiles, and then back to her with understanding. Not for the first time, Tempest cursed her partner’s observational skill.

Seeing her open her mouth, no doubt to make some wonderfully kind observance, or something so sugary that Tempest’s heart would tremble against it as it did every time Twilight showed her such love and compassion, Tempest beat her to the punch before she couldn’t find it in her to argue.

“I want to improve. I want to have finesse as you all do, to some degree. I want to be able to lift a damn brush from the floor without,” she shook her head vehemently and her broken horn spat sparks.

She sighed at Twilight’s open, waiting gaze. “I don’t want to weaponize myself any longer.”

Twilight mirrored her sigh and stepped close again to lean bodily into her. The press of her side was comforting and soft and warm. It was exactly what she needed, to draw her from memories of cold metal and sharp tension. Tempest breathed in deep and let out a shaky breath. 

They stood in silence for a few minutes as Tempest calmed herself to her partner’s quiet breathing and the falling of the rain, gentle outside the window, and the smell of clean, familiar shampoo.

Eventually, Tempest snorted and jostled herself just enough to dislodge Twilight, who made an exaggerated scramble to regain her footing.

“Let’s go take that spa day, hm?” She smiled, more with the easy set of her eyes than anything else, and trotted from the room at her usual smart pace.

She grinned a tiny grin at the flustered flapping that appeared behind her halfway down the corridor.

 

 

~!~!~

Tempest ran a bath as Twilight carefully set her crown aside and gathered a few of their favorite soaps. Tempest found herself partial to those that smelled subtly of clean laundry and sheets, while Twilight preferred pomegranate everything, with an open mind to other sufficiently fruity scents.

It was an art and a science to run a properly warm bath in the wide, shallow washbasin that came up to Tempest’s back only in the deepest sections, with only unreliable ancient heating spells to warm up cold spring water. It was a luxury and Tempest, somewhat self-consciously, prided herself on being able to finagle the knobs just right with a light, confident hoof to provoke perfectly spa-worthy water.

When the water reached a suitable level Tempest screwed shut the handles and waded over to sink into her favorite corner of the bath, where lying on her side she was enveloped in the steaming water and could lay her head on cool stone. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, letting her eyes slide shut and keeping an ear on Twilight’s movements. Oh, that cheeky horse always thought she could surprise her if only she moved slowly enough.

And as always, Tempest cracked a fond eye open just as Twilight crouched beside her with a damp soapy washcloth held aloft with glimmering pink magic. Tempest noticed with amusement that there was similar magic muffling her hooves, for all the good it had done the alicorn.

Twilight actually dropped the cloth with a splat onto Tempest’s side just an inch below the waterline, the residual chill making the unicorn jolt and scowl without any true irritation. Twilight only sighed dejectedly, dropping her wings to brush the damp stone floor and climbed over her partner into the bath to take up her own favored spot.

“I really thought I had you that time. C’mon, what am I doing to give myself away?” She implored as she stepped into the deepest water and ruffled her wings, kicking up an impressive spray as she worked water through the feathers.

Tempest pretended to consider her appeal, then hummed and rolled onto her belly.

“Hm, I have the distinct impression that you think too loudly. I can hear it a mile off. Goodness, it’s like a bee hive.” She said with mock seriousness, ignoring with long practice the splattering of droplets against her face.

“Filled with busy and productive thoughts that produce sweet creations?” Twilight paused in her fluttering to ask over her shoulder with playful hopefulness.

“Not quite. The point is you’re noisy.”

Twilight snorted and flicked her wing a little more strongly than strictly necessary, and Tempest received a precisely-directed splash of water directly to her nose. Twilight snickered as she spluttered and snorted bathwater from her nostrils.

“See if I wash behind your wings now, you insolent beast.”

Twilight broke into peals of laughter and completely left off bathing her wings to slash back to Tempest and throw herself down beside her, the displacement of water rocking the unicorn in place.

“Guess I’ll have to get back into good favor again then. Now, vanilla or linen?” She asked, tilting her head to levitate the two bottles of soap to her convenience and lifting the washcloth from Tempest’s back.

“I’m thinking linen, to offset the fruit. One of us needs to smell like a reasonable person.”

“Well, perhaps one of us just doesn’t want to smell so friendly.” Twilight poked her in the side with a hoof.

“My motivations, so easily revealed. How will anyone take me seriously as your chief guard if I smell like a berry?” Tempest bemoaned and repositioned herself so she was partially above the water level as Twilight lathered the soap.

“Dear, I am absolutely certain they will take you seriously regardless. For someone of so many facial expressions, they’re all incredibly intimidating. Or they would be, if I didn’t know you practiced them in the mirror.”

“I told you that in absolute confidence Twilight.” Tempest pretended to whip her head around to face her partner in her anger, careful to not upset the gentle circles the princess rubbed the washcloth in over her neck. “You have betrayed me.”

“Oh my, I’m terribly sorry. I must be doubly in poor favor now. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” Twilight didn’t look up from massaging the base of Tempest’s shoulders, and dug in with just a little more force.

Tempest relaxed to bonelessness and leaned into the kneading. “I’ll think of something. Keep up what you’re doing.”

Twilight hummed in acknowledgement and worked quietly, cleaning every inch with a meticulousness that Tempest knew she knew that she strongly appreciated.

“Close your eyes so I can get your face.” Twilight mumbled, focused on her repetitive task. Tempest lazily obeyed and when her cheeks were washed clean she left her eyes closed as Twilight worked shampoo into her mane.

Once she felt Twilight wash her clean once more she sat up and yawned, motioning for the washcloth to be handed over so she could return the favor.

They were both cleaned and sweetly smelling in short order, though the water was beginning to cool. Tempest braved the cool air to go open the drain while Twilight sang her praises, draped lazily over the side of the pool. Tempest rolled her eyes and retrieved their towels from a rack on the wall, slinging them over her back and trotting back to lightly nudge at Twilight’s foreleg where it splayed over her eyes.

At the lack of movement, Tempest chuckled. “Come on now, get out and get dry before you turn into some manner of water horse.”

The threat was insufficient, though Twilight couldn’t restrain an amused flick of her ears.

Tempest sighed, as though rather put-out by the entire business. “We can snuggle, you insufferable teddy bear.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Twilight laughed as she removed her foreleg from over her face and hauled herself from the bath. She shook herself, flinging chilly droplets to spatter against the stone floor and Tempest in equal proportions, eyeing with satisfaction Tempest’s mock-disgusted expression before stilling and lifted one of the towels from her back.

They dried off in quick order, with minimal horsing around, and retired to Twilight’s quarters once the princess sheepishly admitted she didn’t know how to do anything else generally associated with spa days.

“I assure you, I’m more than happy to read in bed for the rest of the day, if there is no scheduling conflict?” Tempest suggested. It would be nice, she considered, to hold onto this rare relaxation as long as she could while nothing else demanded her attention.

“I’m on break, Princesses Celestia and Luna are taking care of the princessly duties today. In two weeks it’s Celestia’s turn, and boy if she doesn’t need it. Anywho, yeah, reading sounds fantastic. But, hm,” Twilight left off with a look too innocently concerned to be entirely honest.

Tempest had a feeling she knew what she wanted. “Care to share, princess?”

“Well, it’s kind of cold all the way up in my quarters, would you..?”

Tempest smiled indulgently. If she were being perfectly honest, she was in the mood for curling up on a couch with her dearest friend and a good book. That didn’t mean she had to make it easy on Twilight.

“Of course I could check the heating spells, my dear. Though I seem to remember you renewing them just last month.”

Twilight glanced at her as though completely thrown off by Tempest’s derailing of her proposal, but caught on with one look at Tempest’s expression, staring resolutely ahead as they climbed the stairs to Twilight’s rooms, a smirk playing unrepentantly across her face.

“Why, I think you’re right. I _did_ renew them last month. Perhaps I just want to snuggle, but it seems my partner will just be checking some spells and leaving. A shame, huh?”

“A most dreadful shame.” Tempest nodded grimly.

 

~!~!~

They picked over Twilight’s book collection when they arrived at her quarters, Tempest picking up a new novel and Twilight rereading an old.

Tempest splayed herself over Twilight’s bed, impenitently flipping to the first page and settling in to read. Twilight took a moment to consider her options, settling for stepping onto the bed and flopping onto her back, infinitely more conservative of relative bed space. She scooted until she was pressed against Tempest, then wriggled to fan the back of a wing over the unicorn, who read serenely on.

Twilight levitated her novel over her head and flipped to the opening lines. In the ensuing comfortable silence, Tempest chuckled unexpectedly.

“What’s up?” Twilight asked nonchalantly.

“That’s going to fall on your face and you’re going to break your nose.”

“You’ll clean me up.”

“I’ll clean you up.”

They read on in the quiet pattering of the slowing rain.


End file.
